In the space of just a few years, the Internet—because it provides access to information, and the ability to publish information, in revolutionary ways—has emerged from relative obscurity to international prominence. Whereas in general an internet is a network of networks, the Internet is a global collection of interconnected local, mid-level, and wide-area networks that use the Internet Protocol (IP) as the network layer protocol. Whereas the Internet embraces many local- and wide-area networks, a given local- or wide-area network may or may not form part of the Internet.
As the Internet and its underlying technologies have become increasingly familiar, attention has become focused on Internet security and computer network security in general. With unprecedented access to information has also come unprecedented opportunities to gain unauthorized access to data, change data, destroy data, make unauthorized use of computer resources, interfere with the intended use of computer resources, etc. As experience has shown, the frontier of cyberspace has its share of scofflaws, resulting in increased efforts to protect the data, resources, and reputations of those embracing intranets and the Internet.
Security threats have evolved significantly with the increased popularity of the Internet. Advanced hybrid threats have been designed to attack systems on multiple fronts, sometimes searching for vulnerabilities until one is found. New threats also attempt to attack security technology itself.
Traditional consumer security software suites often include a plurality of various applications such as an anti-virus application, a firewall application, etc. In use, each application works to protect against at least one of the aforementioned threats. Together, the applications provide the comprehensive protection required in modern computing and networking environments.
As the security threats become more and more complex, however, the number of applications required to combat the threats becomes greater. With each application carrying its own functionality and reporting schemes, an administrator or user can easily become overwhelmed with security management.